Uzbekistan’s armed forces suffer serious problems: president

There are a number of serious problems in the armed forces of Uzbekistan, said President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at a recent meeting of the Security Council in Tashkent.

"During the year, I was analyzing the combat readiness of the armed forces, observing exercises, talking to the servicemen and listening to the officials’ reports,” the president said. “Thus, a number of serious systemic problems were revealed.”

He added that Uzbekistan - realizing the seriousness of existing problems in such an important area as the security and defense capability of the country - adopted the Defense Doctrine, which reflects the main directions and modern approaches to development of armed forces.

“The provisions of the Defense Doctrine must not remain on paper, it is necessary to implement them,” the president said. “For this purpose, a permanent parliamentary supervision must be ensured.”

The meeting also paid special attention to development of the country's defense industry, the training of highly qualified personnel, the social protection of servicemen, and in particular, the provision of officers with housing.

More than 500 servicemen were provided with apartments in new houses within a short period, the president said.

"But the work in this direction must intensify and at least 1,500 families of servicemen must be provided with apartments annually.”